U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate committee overseeing the FAA and Transportation Department, says Congress doesn’t need to launch its own investigation into the deadly DC plane crash.

“I don’t think the committee has the expertise that the National Transportation Safety Board does,” Baldwin said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “And so I think we should wait for their investigation. The last time there was a deadly crash in the United States was back in 2009, and the NTSB did a very thorough investigation of the circumstances there, and it resulted in several policy changes especially with regard to the number of hours that a pilot has to train before they can be a pilot on a commercial airliner. And there were other changes that were made as a result of that investigation. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they’re recommendations after this investigation that our committee would play a significant role in implementing.”

Baldwin said she expects committee members will soon be briefed by the NTSB, including reports the air traffic control tower may have been understaffed the night of the crash.

“They did release some of the audio of the air traffic controller speaking with the folks operating the Black Hawk helicopter, and they were advised to avoid the incoming plane,” Baldwin said. “They responded to the contact from the tower, and so it appears the air traffic controller did the appropriate, gave the appropriate warnings.”

Baldwin, D-Madison, also blasted GOP President Trump’s initial comments suggesting DEI and Biden administration-era policies could have contributed to the crash.

“I thought the president’s press conference and comments were wholly inappropriate,” Baldwin said. “The president was making wild accusations at a time when family members are grieving. Those comments were beneath what should be spoken by a United States president, and I was very, very offended by what he had to say.”

DNC member Alex Lasry says Ben Wikler’s loss in the national chair race wasn’t a rejection of party leaders after the state chair was backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“I don’t think this was a rebuke,” Lasry said. “I think that just speaks to the incredible campaign that Ben ran. …I think it does show the specialty of Ken Martin and why we’re really lucky to have Chair Martin as the new DNC chair. And I think it just speaks to the incredible talent that Democrats have all across the country and why I feel so confident about the future of this party.”

Martin, the head of state Democrats in Minnesota, beat Wikler during one round of voting Saturday during the DNC’s winter meeting in Maryland.

“I think a lot of pride, very proud of the race that Ben ran,” Lasry said. “And you know, as someone who has run and been in this position before, all you can ask is that you run a race that you can be proud of, and Ben ran a race that we can all be proud of, that I think everyone in Wisconsin should be proud of.”

Wikler’s term as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin runs through June.

“Ben’s got an incredibly bright future, and I think that’s something for him and his family to make that determination,” Lasry said. “The one thing I do know is that Ben’s not going to leave the fight. That’s not who Ben is. This is not who he’s ever been. He cares about this party. He cares about this state, and he cares about this country.”

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says there have been no dramatic changes to the state’s only U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility, located at the Dodge County Jail, since Trump was sworn in.

“Nothing has changed for us,” Schmidt said. “We were full under President Obama, under President Biden, under President Trump the first time, and right now we still remain full.”

Schmidt said his 356-bed jail is at capacity, which currently includes about 100 detainees in the custody of ICE.

“The vast majority of the detainees in our jail are criminal aliens,” Schmidt said. “They’re the ones that have committed crimes, have been arrested by immigration and who have been brought here because of criminal offenses here in the United States. And the only reason they’re here, in addition to that, is because they’re here in the country illegally as well.”

Schmidt, a Trump ally and supporter, said his agency will assist federal immigration officials in deportation efforts.

“If immigration came in and asked for assistance, I will assist them just like any other law enforcement agency,” Schmidt said. “If the FBI came here and asked for assistance, or if the Secret Service asked for assistance, I will help them. 

“Now you talk about going into a church, going to a school, we’re going to take a look at the procedures and how you’re going to know how you’re going to take a look at these. I don’t think immigration is really going to be going into schools and churches to take care of operations. That’s now how they operate necessarily unless there’s a risk to the community.”

See more from the show.